Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Deliciously Easy Pecan Brittle From The Microwave!

Hello, friends! My grandma use to make a few different candies, and peanut brittle was an easy enough one for me to learn! It's all done in the microwave...no candy thermometers involved! Whoo hoo! She and I had to make little adjustments every time until we absolutely perfected it...after we had the measurements, order of ingredients, and times all figured out, it was super easy! One day we thought we'd try making pecan brittle instead...this one required a lot of tweaking until we got it just right, but it was worth it! I just realized all of my sentences thus far have ended in exclamation marks...I'm obviously very excited!!! Well anywho! There are some important things I must prepare you for before I show you the step by step process of this recipe!

First! Every microwave is different...duh...we all know that. But! It's also important to know that depending on what bowl you use to nuke this stuff in will determine time adjustments as well. At grandma's we always used a glass Pyrex bowl...I don't have a glass Pyrex bowl. I have Corning Ware dishes, and the difference was enough to warrant changes by only seconds...and yes...seconds matter in this recipe! But don't stress! Even if it gets a little under cooked or a little over cooked, it'll still be tasty. You'll find out rather quickly what cooking time makes the best tasting brittle for you.

Second! Make sure you use an oven mitt...the bowl will get super hot. And make sure you have two spoons and a dish to set them on...one spoon to help get as much of the gooey sticky stuff off of the other spoon and into the mix...and a dish to prevent the gooey sticky stuff from getting on your counter top.

You will need:
1 cup pecans
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup white syrup
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp baking soda
butter and non-stick spray for the pan (The original recipe just called for butter, but grandma and I learned that using both made it tons easier to get the brittle off the pan after it cooled.)

Butter and spray the heck outta your pan!

Combine the sugar and the syrup...

Add the salt and stir it all up. It'll be a gooey sticky mess. Pop it in the microwave for 3 minutes and 15 seconds. Take it out...it'll be bubbling just a little bit...

Add the pecans and stir it all up...pop it back in the microwave for another 3 minutes and 15 seconds.

This time it'll really be bubbling...a bubbling super hot gooey mess! The next few steps happen quickly...I'll explain first and then show you the photos! You'll add the vanilla...it'll sizzle and smell delicious. Don't stir yet! Next, add the baking soda and start stirring!!! It's going to get all foamy and glorious...stir stir stir it really well and then quickly pour on to the baking sheet...use the spoon to spread it out as much as you can spread it. Here's what those steps look like:

As you can see...the photo of what happens when you add the baking soda is quite blurry...I was in a hurry :) This isn't really a recipe you can take your time photographing during certain steps such as this one. Oh well! Y'all get what's goin' on right? I hope!

Spread it all out as much you can before it starts sticking to the spoon more than spreading out. Then you let it cool...about 30 minutes or so. You'll know it has cooled completely because it'll break apart easily...I use a butter knife to separate it from the pan and then my hands to break it into smaller pieces. The following photos are from my little Canon Elph...the previous ones were done with my DSLR, but the battery died on the last shot...and I can't find the charger!!! While the brittle cooled, I looked everywhere in my tiny apartment...I have no idea where it is :(

You'll want to store the brittle in an air tight container. The bottoms will be a little buttery, but it only adds to the deliciousness :) Oh! Just a little note...it might be disturbing...but don't worry, y'all will be okay. One time I was breaking up the brittle, and I don't know if it was extra hard because it was overcooked or what, but somehow I cut myself with the brittle and bled on some pieces. Wounded by candy...I tell ya what...not a proud moment! Don't worry...I noticed rather quickly and was able to save the majority of the batch of brittle. Ah...good times.

Now in case you're curious...if you'd rather make peanut brittle, you'll need a cup of raw peanuts. You'll mix those in at the beginning for the first microwave round...and it'll go for 3 and a half minutes both times...stirring between rounds.

I hope y'all will give this recipe a try. And I hope I did a good job explaining the recipe...this is really the first time I've tried a step by step instructional deal like this. Enjoy and hugs and love, my lovelies!